“I had to relearn to walk,” Millar said. “The only thing that kept me going through all of this was getting reports on how my horses were training. “

by Sandra Snyder

Millar Farms domestic breeds have been on the rise since racing resumed in Ontario in June. Pacer three year old gelding Powertrain clocked a time of 1: 49.3 mile at Woodbine Mohawk Park on her second lifetime start on June 28, 2 year old filly Legal prohibition won an Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Gold Series division on July 2, first year colt Better have money followed suit a day later, and Silver Label, a 2-year-old filly, won a Grassroots division on June 6, attracting pilot James MacDonald to Georgian Downs for just one practice.

“It’s a bit surreal, so I pinch myself a bit and just enjoy it,” said owner / breeder George Millar. “I said to (my coach) Nick (Gallucci), ‘It’s a little strange this week because we were all so excited.’ The whole farm was pumped up about Powertrain last week. Having a foal below 1:50 is your second start in life, you kind of think that’s what we would all be focusing on this week, but it was like hardly anyone was talking about him because the 2 year olds are racing so well.

The success of the start of the season had additional meaning for the entire Millar Farms team as 2021 started on a dreadful note for its owner. The Stouffville, Ont. Resident, in his 71st year, underwent a double lung transplant in February, resulting in a 13-week hospital stay and an ongoing rehabilitation program.

New Image Media | Betterhavemymoney (James MacDonald) also won a gold event for first year foals and geldings on July 3 in Mohawk.

New Image Media | The Millar Farms powertrain (Louis-Philippe Roy) clocked a time of 1: 49.3 mile on June 28 at Woodbine Mohawk Park on its second lifetime start.

Claus Andersen | Owner / breeder George Millar underwent a double lung transplant in February and said the only thing keeping him alive was the thought of seeing his horses run.

New Image Media | Prohibition Legal (James MacDonald) of Millar Farms won an Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Gold Series division for 2 year old fillies on July 2 in Mohawk in 1:54.

“It was like a horror show, I had a double lung transplant and found out a day later that the lungs they gave me had COVID. So instead of being in the hospital for two weeks, I ended up being in the hospital for 13 weeks and lost 35 pounds. I had to relearn to walk, ”said Millar. “The only thing that kept me going through it all was getting reports on how my horses were training. I think my horses maybe got together and said, “George needs a break this year, so let’s run well for him.” So that’s what’s happening.

Millar and Gallucci selected two trotting fillies for the London Virtual Yearling Sale last fall, but they were delayed due to aggressive behavior in the paddock. of Millar’s breeding program.

“I select the farms and you’re there when they’re all broke, so it’s kind of like you’re there from start to finish. It is a pleasant feeling. And for a lot of these babies that I have, I ran their mothers, I ran their grandmothers, I ran their great-grandmothers, ”Millar said. “Prohibition Legal came from a daughter in Little Black Book, who was sort of my basic broodmare, and we also had a great time with the Catch A Wish race. She produced a couple of me in 1:50, so she’s just a good mare. Serious Matter is still there, she walks the field. They call her grandmother. She has no more foals but when Steven wipes the babies, she goes out and takes care of them.

The Little Black Book range is being continued in 2021 by the first year filly Prohibition Legal (Big Jim – Catch A Wish) and the 2 year old gelding Silk Road Smash (Bettors Delight – Chocolate Truffle). My Blueberry Buck (Thinking Out Loud – Mind Over Matter) two-year-old stimulation gelding is a great-grandson of Serious Matter. The three-year-old fillies Cyclone Sister (Shadow Play – Riveting) and Cantstoplying (Sunshine Beach – Musical Voyage) are the great-granddaughters of J Bs Elizabeth and Betterhavemymoney (Betterthancheddar – Whosluckierthanme) is a great-grandson of Natchitoches.

“You know, the funny thing is that this Betterhavemymoney colt, I was going to take his dam off,” Millar said. “She was marked in the book for reform after her whelping this year and I loved her so much in January that I told Steve Samis, my brood mare farm manager, I said, ‘Stevie, j changed my mind. I love this colt, I think we’ll breed him at Betterthancheddar ”, and I’m so glad I did now.

The new members of the brood mare are also starting to make an impact. Shadow Play’s son, Powertrain, is the first foal to Mmillion Blue Chip, a daughter of Rock N Roll Heaven and Molly Can Do It that Millar acquired for $ 100,000 at the 2013 Lexington Featured Sale. The Mare n ‘ has not seen success on the circuit, but her owner is hoping she has found her rhythm as a broodmare. The powertrain is two for two and makes its OSS debut in the Grassroots Second Division 3-year-old pacing colts at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday July 10th.

“I’ve bought a lot of mares, like really well-bred mares, over the last three or four years and a lot of them haven’t been doing very well on the track except for Bestseller Hanover so a lot of between them are already in the brood mares, ”said Millar.“ Their first babies fall to the ground this summer, they’ve already had them to the ground, and more will fall next year, so I can’t wait to see what they will produce. “

Gallucci and his team will beat seven yearlings this fall and there are 11 foals on the ground. Millar enjoys riding the jogging cart behind the young horses and is working hard on his rehabilitation program to make sure he doesn’t miss a mile behind the 2020 and 2021 foal harvests.

“Last week I went upstairs and jogged, but when they did the surgery, they kind of slashed you right open, you know, they caused nerve damage to my left arm. My right arm is awesome, but I don’t have the strength of my left arm and the horse kind of bolted to the side like he was going to go into the infield and when I went to shoot the line left, I wish I had a bit more strength there, so I think I need to exercise a bit more before I come back, ”Millar said. “But guaranteed that I will be sitting behind my yearlings in September and running them on the farm. This is what I love to do.

Meanwhile, Millar enjoys watching his racehorses compete and the babies frolic in the fields with their mothers.

“After spending so much time looking at the hospital walls, it’s so nice to be back on the farm and being around the horses,” said Millar. “There are a lot of people here now, which is nice. And I have all of my grandchildren here swimming in the pool right now, so life couldn’t get better.